Loft On Form Sam Murphy wins 1st Open NIPA Bude
On Sunday 12th June Kells & District fancier Sam Murphy recorded his best ever result when he won 1st Section B and 1st Open NIPA Bude with 4035 birds competing. With strong south west winds on the channel on the Saturday the NIPA decided to hold over in Bude in Cornwall hoping for a better day on the Sunday. Come Sunday the winds had eased a little and the birds were liberated at 8.00am in west to south west winds and another very tough channel race was on the cards. Sam Murphy timed his 2 year old blue hen racing on roundabout at 14.31pm flying almost 284 miles to his Groggan Crescent lofts in Randalstown. This brilliant hen has been top form on the channel for Sam winning 5th Combine, 7th Section B & 123rd Open NIPA Talbenny (1) and last week 1st Combine, 1st Section B and 13th Open NIPA Talbenny (2). The Sticker Donckers hen was purchased in a kit of young birds from Gary Gibson of Cullybackey. Sam has retired the hen for the season and plans to breed a couple of latebreds from her. Whether she races again we shall wait and see. Sam had a great race with a further six birds in the section result. Dunloy's Danny Dixon had the next best two birds in both Combine and Section followed by the Cullybackey winner Gary Gibson who timed a yearling blue pied cock feeding a 5 day old chick. Sire is a son of Jimmy Rock's Talbenny YB National winner and Penzance OB Classic winner and dam a granddaughter of Danny Dixon's "Dixie Chic". Stewart Bros the Randalstown winners were next best with a yearling Vandenabeele cock through Peter Martin. Other winners included Mr & Mrs Robinson the Ahoghill winners on 1209, Allen McBride with the top six in Harryville on 1173. Allen's winner is bred from his No1 pair, the "McBride Hen" when paired to a son of Jimmy Rock's 11th Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National cock of 2014. This pair have bred a host of National positions for Allen and others and a 1st Section & 3rd Open Talbenny for Jimmy Rock. Johnston Eagleson & Sons had the top four in Ballymena & Dist on 1168 and Freddie Barkley best in Rasharkin doing 1119.
Mid Antrim Combine Bude 36/304 - S Murphy Kells 1277, D Dixon Rasharkin 1235, D Dixon Rasharkin 1232, S Murphy Kells 1229, G Gibson Cullybackey 1225, S Murphy Kells 1220, Stewart Bros Randalstown 1219, Mr & Mrs Robinson Ahoghill 1209, S Murphy Kells 1176, A Darragh Cullybackey 1176, G Gibson Cullybackey 1174, A McBride Associate 1173, J Miller Randalstown 1172, A Darragh Cullybackey 1171, D Dixon Rasharkin 1170, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1168, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1157, T & G Balmer Ahoghill 1156, W & W Gilbert Randalstown 1147, S Murphy Kells 1147, A Darragh Cullybackey 1144, D Robinson Cullybackey 1143, N & S Anderson Cullybackey 1142, S Murphy Kells 1141, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1134, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1131, A McBride Associate 1124, Mr & Mrs Robinson Ahoghill 1122, F Barkley Rasharkin 1119, S Murphy Kells 1115, D Robinson Cullybackey 1115, A Darragh Cullybackey 1112, A McBride Associate 1106, A Darragh Cullybackey 1098, A McBride Associate 1092, J Eagleson & Sons Ballymena 1090, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1090, J & J Greer Cullybackey 1086, J Smyth & Son Ahoghill 1083, A McBride Associate 1181
Mid Antrim Combine OB Points (Bude & Skibbereen Yearling National)
D Dixon 404, Young, McManus & Sons 321, J Eagleson & Sons 303, S Murphy 294, A Darragh 253, J & M Milliken 192, T Whyte 127, S Crawford 109, G Gibson 84, Surgenor Bros 62
Mid Antrim Combine OB Knock Out Final - Penzance 18th June
G Gibson Cullybackey v S Murphy Kells
Mid Antrim Combine Champions League Final - Penzance 18th June
S Murphy Kells v D Dixon Rasharkin.
Sam Murphy holding his Bude 1st Open winner.
1st Open NIPS Bude for Sam Murphy.